For the second year in a row, Centre College has been ranked by Forbes magazine as the No. 1 college or university in the South.
Forbes released its list of the top 10 schools of higher education in the Southern region on Friday. Following Centre on the list are Rice University, the U.S. Naval Academy, Washington and Lee, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Virginia, William and Mary, Rhodes College, and Davidson.
The following states comprise the South as defined by Forbes: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
Centre College President John Roush said he is pleased with the college’s latest high ranking.
“This designation of Centre as the best among all colleges and universities in the South is only the latest in a series of accolades that have begun to come our way regularly in recent years,” he said.
“As my colleagues and friends know, I don't take any of these rankings as gospel, but there is a consistency in this recognition that is hard to ignore.”
Roush said one important characteristic of Centre’s approach to higher education that is widely recognized is that the college “provides personal, transformative educational experience for young men and women that is among the best the nation has to offer.”
Centre College tops Forbes list
Guarantee
In its online article about its recently released rankings, Forbes says, “If you’re accepted to be a student at the best college in the South, you are guaranteed an internship, the opportunity to study abroad and graduation within four years or the school will pay for an additional year of tuition-free study.”
Centre spokesman Mike Norris said Forbes is referring to the “Centre Commitment” program, which guarantees all students who meet the college’s academic and social expectations those offerings.
“The benefits of attending the best college in the South don’t even stop when you receive your diploma,” the Forbes online article says.
“Within 10 months of graduation, 98 percent of the college’s students, on average, are employed or engaged in advanced study. Upon graduating, you become part of the nation’s most loyal and generous group of alumni.”
The article says in the past 10 years alone, Centre produced 17 Fulbright scholars, five Goldwater scholars, two Rhodes scholars and a Truman scholar.
“Its alumni include two U.S. vice presidents, a chief justice of the United States, 13 U.S. senators and 43 U.S. representatives,” the article says.
In addition, Forbes notes that 98 percent of Centre’s professors hold the highest degrees in their fields.
“The rankings are objectively determined, with the only subjective judgments being those of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity and Forbes as to which factors to include and the weights to be used in evaluating each factor,” the article says.
Standards
